28 April 2023

On 26 April 2023, the New Zealand ASEAN Business Alliance (ABA) held its first Around ASEAN webinar on US-China trade and its wider implications for ASEAN.

The discussion centered around the US-China trade war, which is significantly impacting supply chains, investments, and the ASEAN regional economy.

Two expert commentators, Professor Siah Hwee Ang, Director of Southeast Asia Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence, and Stephen Jacobi, Managing Director of Jacobi Consulting Limited and Executive Director of NZ International Business Forum Inc, provided valuable insights and experiences during the webinar.

Attendees had the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the current political situation and its potential impact on trade and supply chains in Southeast Asia.

“When elephants fight, it gets tough on the grass, and this holds true for New Zealand as major power rivalry between the US and China has potential implications for the country,” says Jacobi. He also brought up the implications by looking at the following points: What is happening between the US and China? What are the current effects on ASEAN? Finally, what does this mean for New Zealand?

While the two governments fight each other, the typical classic politics is that they fight in the next room, while trading and shake hands, in the current room. This is quite typical of ASEAN economy and China, but it will be interesting to see how the US comes to grips with that, Siah further commented,

If you missed the webinar, you can watch full video below.